By Kingsley Omose

Across Europe and North America, anti-immigrant sentiments are simmering and in some countries have broken out openly, resulting in leadership changes that are of seismic global proportions.

Following the global economic crises that attended the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the cost of living crises afflicted citizens and residents (legal and illegal) alike in countries that for decades had celebrated ultra-low interest rates and the piling on of credits that afforded individuals and companies.

Rather than provide the needed leadership and policies to address the challenges presented by the cost of living crises that were the direct effect of rising interest rates, far-right politicians in Europe and North America conveniently blamed this on migrant populations.

Far-right politicians are now gaining ground in the UK, France and Germany, the three biggest economies on the European continent, and while mass deportations are yet to feature openly in public discourse, policies are already being implemented in these countries that indicate what lies ahead.

In the United States on the other hand, a far-right politician will be sworn in on January 20, 2025, who was elected with the understanding that the over 12 million illegal immigrants in the country will be subjected to mass deportations from day one when he is sworn in as the US President.

The bulk of these over 12 million illegal immigrants are from Latin American countries that border the US but a good number of them also come from Sub-Saharan Africa especially Nigeria where economic hardship has driven many young people into voluntary exile.

Only time will tell whether these anti-immigrant policies being pursued by these far-right politicians will address the economic woes in their respective countries but what is clear is that the floodgates are about to burst open in the US and much later in Europe and the UK to expel illegal immigrants.

On the surface, these anti-immigrant policies appear to be targeted towards addressing economic issues, but the underlying issues appear to have racist colouration, meaning that even legal immigrants can not yet shout Uhuru.

The goal here is for subsaharan African countries especially Nigeria to begin to put in place policies and measures to allow for these returning immigrants to reintegrate back into their respective home countries as many of them will be returning with much-needed skills, capacities and resources.

The first recommendation is for the Nigerian authorities to improve the speedy issuance of temporary travel documents to Nigerians in the US, preferably online, without charging any fees. Also, Nigerians arriving in the country from the US without a Nigerian passport should be allowed entry.

Many of these returning Nigerians from the US have grown-up children who are American citizens and may want to accompany their parents or come to visit them afterwards. As long as these US citizens have passports that carry Nigerian names, they should be issued with visas on arrival at no extra cost.

The second recommendation is that officials of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission should also create an online portal to allow these returnee Nigerians to register their particulars and job experiences and skills including entrepreneurial capacities prior to arriving in Nigeria or soon after arriving to facilitate their reintegration.

A help desk should also be set up at the Nigerian Diaspora Commission to help these returnee Nigerians navigate their way through the basic steps of obtaining ID cards, NIN, Drivers Licenses, opening bank accounts, obtaining SIM cards, and such other documentation needed to hit the ground running.

The third recommendation is that some of these returnee Nigerians may require temporary accommodation until they can reconnect with family members, friends, and loved ones. Again, this falls within the scope of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission to provide temporary accommodation in much-needed cases.

The fourth recommendation is for the federal and state governments to improve the power supply, and the general security situation will go a long way towards enhancing the productivity of these returnee Nigerians. No one wants a spike in the kidnapping of returnee Nigerians to avoid the double jeopardy that entails.

The final recommendation is for the family members of these returnee Nigerians who have for decades been beneficiaries of remittances sent by their relatives in the Diaspora. A lot of understanding and support will be required to reposition these returnees. Nigerians and family members will be required to make sacrifices in this regard.

Rather than focus on the negative consequences of anti-immigrant sentiments and policies in the US and Europe, and the likely return to Nigeria of undocumented citizens based in the US, vast opportunities await these Nigerians and Nigeria as it begins to harness the immense value in return for its dispersed ones.

Content piracy is huge. It has been estimated that there are around 230 billion views of pirated video material every year, and that digital video piracy costs its true owners between $29.2 and $71 billion each year.

Gen Z are the digital natives of our time, existing in a sea of digital content, but navigating it with ease and finding exactly what they need for information, entertainment, and social connections. The generation born between 1997 and 2012 will shape the digital future of our society. But that digital leadership comes with a great responsibility.

Being able to access any content you want with a couple of keystrokes is empowering and convenient. But what we do online can have a real effect on people’s lives.

Streaming content such as films, music and TV shows is created by teams of professionals who invest their time and money in producing quality, relevant material that captures the imagination of audiences. They deserve to be fairly compensated for that content.

The way to ensure that we behave ethically – as well as legally – is that when we access streaming content – whether its Euphoria, Big Brother, Champions League Football, or Real Housewives – we should only view shows on legitimate, officially licensed channels. On these platforms, we can be sure that producers and rightsholders have been fairly compensated for their work.

Today, we are all content creators, generating our own posts, pics, comments, stories, pods and video clips. One of the basic values of content creation is to never, ever, steal content.

Respect to those who earn a living as content creators and producers of film and television shows. For them, content is their only source of income.

Browsing and consuming content on legitimate platforms means we can be sure that everybody involved in the production will get the compensation and the royalties they deserve. That means the writers, the actors, the hair and make-up artists, the producers and the sound crew will all be paid their salaries, and will receive the royalties they are entitled to.

When we consume content responsibly, we are living according to the values of fairness and integrity that we would like to see from those around us. We also ensure that the industry remains sustainable. When all film and TV workers are fairly paid for a particular production, then it remains viable to keep producing shows. That means more shows will be filmed in the future.

On the other hand, when we stream content from pirate websites, we are basically stealing from the creators. We are robbing them of the income they deserve. That content theft means it is no longer worthwhile to create those shows, and they will simply stop happening.

Pirate websites create nothing of their own. The only content that they can share is what they have stolen from other websites. When that goes on long enough, there will be no income for the creators, and no new content. Pretty soon, there will be nothing left to steal!

As the largest generation of digital consumers, young people have the power to do something about this. Consume content responsibly – support creators, encourage innovative, high-quality new content, and support a sustainable future for creative content.

By using content responsibly, we ensure that there will be content for the future!

By Luke Kyohere

The global payments landscape is undergoing a rapid transformation. New technologies coupled with the rising demand for seamless, secure, and efficient transactions has spurred on an exciting new era of innovation and growth. With 2025 fast approaching, here are important trends that will shape the future of payments:

1. The rise of real-time payments

Until recently, real-time payments have been used in Africa for cross-border mobile money payments, but less so for traditional payments. We are seeing companies like Mastercard investing in this area, as well as central banks in Africa putting focus on this. 

2. Cashless payments will increase

In 2025, we will see the continued acceleration of cashless payments across Africa. B2B payments in particular will also increase. Digital payments began between individuals but are now becoming commonplace for larger corporate transactions. 

3. Digital currency will hit mainstream

In the cryptocurrency space, we will see an increase in the use of stablecoins like United States Digital Currency (USDC) and Tether (USDT) which are linked to US dollars. These will come to replace traditional cryptocurrencies as their price point is more stable. This year, many countries will begin preparing for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), government-backed digital currencies which use blockchain. 

The increased uptake of digital currencies reflects the maturity of distributed ledger technology and improved API availability. 

4. Increased government oversight

As adoption of digital currencies will increase, governments will also put more focus into monitoring these flows. In particular, this will centre on companies and banks rather than individuals. The goal of this will be to control and occasionally curb runaway foreign exchange (FX) rates.

5. Business leaders buy into AI technology

In 2025, we will see many business leaders buying into AI through respected providers relying on well-researched platforms and huge data sets. Most companies don’t have the budget to invest in their own research and development in AI, so many are now opting to ‘buy’ into the technology rather than ‘build’ it themselves. Moreover, many businesses are concerned about the risks associated with data ownership and accuracy so buying software is another way to avoid this risk. 

6. Continued AI Adoption in Payments

In payments, the proliferation of AI will continue to improve user experience and increase security.  To detect fraud, AI is used to track patterns and payment flows in real-time. If unusual activity is detected, the technology can be used to flag or even block payments which may be fraudulent. 

When it comes to user experience, we will also see AI being used to improve the interface design of payment platforms. The technology will also increasingly be used for translation for international payment platforms.

7. Rise of Super Apps

To get more from their platforms, mobile network operators are building comprehensive service platforms, integrating multiple payment experiences into a single app. This reflects the shift of many users moving from text-based services to mobile apps. Rather than offering a single service, super apps are packing many other services into a single app. For example, apps which may have previously been used primarily for lending, now have options for saving and paying bills. 

8. Business strategy shift

Recent major technological changes will force business leaders to focus on much shorter prediction and reaction cycles. Because the rate of change has been unprecedented in the past year, this will force decision-makers to adapt quickly, be decisive and nimble. 

As the payments space evolves,  businesses, banks, and governments must continually embrace innovation, collaboration, and prioritise customer needs. These efforts build a more inclusive, secure, and efficient payment system that supports local to global economic growth – enabling true financial inclusion across borders.

Luke Kyohere is the Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Onafriq